Reduction of radial thrust by using triple-volute casing

A complete centrifugal pump is designed and manufactured. The volute is designed such that partition vanes could be added to change the number of volutes. Experiments were performed on single-, double-, triple-volute centrifugal pump at 500, 800, and 900 rpm for each case. The results reveal that the non-dimensional performance curves for the three pumps are identical. The efficiency is increased due to the presence of the partition vane. The use of multiple-volute reduces the radial thrust. This reduction is more significant as the operation departs the BEP. At shut off, where the problem is most critical, the use of two- and three-volute reduces the radial thrust by 54% and 72%, respectively, below the thrust of a single volute pump.